#9--Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez

Every once in a while I come across a book that I just have to read, for whatever reason.  This was one of those books.  The cover intrigued me; and I also couldn't tell for sure whether or not it should be included in the collection as fiction or nonfiction.  And the fact that it was told in beautiful pictures drew me in even further.

The author, Na Liu, tells stories about growing up in China during the time period immediately after Chairman Mao died (1976-1980).  The artwork, done by her husband, is gorgeous, especially the pictures that are meant to look like Chinese propaganda from the time period.  I felt like I was in China during this time period and it was brought to life for me.  The story is broken up into several chapters that tell a continuous story.  I would love to know more about Liu's life between the time period portrayed in this book and when she emmigrated to the US in 1999 as you don't often find stories of this time and place, written for children or teens. 

I must say that I'm pretty excited to get this title on the shelf soon!

Happy Reading!!

#8--The Captive Prince (Three Thieves, Book 3) by Scott Chandler

While I was cataloging books last night, I came across this graphic novel.  This is the third book in the series....for some reason, we do not have the first one.  :(  I read through it to try to determine what genre sticker I should be putting on it and I think I will be looking into trying to find the first one to add to our collection. 

The story opens with the three thieves, Fisk, Dessa, and Topper, on the run from Queen's Dragons (I'm guessing something big happened in book 2).  Dessa comes across a young man who has been kidnapped and she rescues him from his captors.  It is later revealed that Paladin (the young man), is actually the crown prince.  When Paladin's father discovers that Paladin is safe and who rescued him, he invites the three thieves back to the palace for a celebration.  And the story continues in predictable fashion.... 

Despite it's predictable nature, there were a few new elements to this story that I'm curious enough about to go back and read the first two books and will be looking for the next book in the series to come out.

Happy Reading!!